original sin
by ikuzonos
Summary: The best place to hide yourself is in plain sight. (NDRV3 Ch 1 Spoilers)


On September seventh, just past four in the morning, Mikiko Saihara gave birth to a little girl. She and her husband, Keisuke Saihara, named the baby girl Minuki. Unbeknownst to both parents, Mikiko had given birth to a baby boy, who eventually took the name of Shuuichi. Neither of them were ever the wiser, that the child they called their daughter was more often than not their son.

It was hard to tell the difference between the two of them. Minuki and Shuuichi looked identical, and they shared the same bright and inquisitive nature. Both had eyes that would sparkle when they smiled. For years and years, Shuuichi hid in plain sight, his parents never picking up that something was wrong.

At age nine, Shuuichi's parents died. His closest living relative was his uncle, an old and battered detective named Haruto. In his time, Haruto had raised three sons of his own, but he had no experience with little girls. Still, he swore that he would do everything in his power to understand and take care of Minuki. Upon hearing that, Shuuichi had clung to the social worker's leg, a sick taste in his mouth.

Haruto absolutely doted on Minuki, buying fancy clothing, and transforming the crumbling guest room into the perfect room for a little girl. Every time Shuuichi saw it, he felt a twist in his gut, but he pushed it down. His uncle was doing so much for him, despite having no obligation. He could have turned Shuuichi away, sent him into foster care, but instead he took him into his own house, and taught the young boy about mysteries, and the science behind being a detective.

So Shuuichi, uncomfortable and shaking, wore every flowing dress and pink blouse that his uncle bought him. His poor, naive uncle, who was so certain he knew how to care for his niece, who had no idea that the only other person in his house was his nephew.

The two often found themselves in the library, reading old mystery novels and declassified case files, for hours on end. Even when Haruto went in to work, Shuuichi often found himself reading, soaking in every crumb of knowledge that he could. His current fascination was a transcontinental alliance that had ended many years ago, and found himself looking into all he could about it. It had been involved in a surprising amount of crimes over the years. When he ran out of books in the library, Shuuichi looked online. However, he hadn't gotten further than the first five letters when something else caught his eye.

Almost mindlessly, he clicked on the word 'transgender' that had come up on the search bar. Shuuichi read through the results, his mouth dry and gentle tears pricking in the corners of his eyes.

He was fourteen years old, and he finally found something that _made sense._

Despite the elating feeling in his stomach, Shuuichi kept quiet. He wouldn't want to disappoint his uncle, not his generous uncle who gave him everything. But as time wore on, hearing 'Minuki' and 'she' made Shuuichi's fingers clench tighter and tighter than ever before.

Three weeks before school started again, Shuuichi approached his uncle, wearing the most masculine clothes he owned. Haruto was quiet as his nephew spoke, and he nodded with understanding along the way. When Shuuichi was done, Haruto got to his feet, and held him close.

That spring, Shuuichi began high-school, a new person. But even with the binder, the hat, and the hairstyle his chose to cover his eyes, Shuuichi still had his high voice, average height, and slender figure. No matter what he tried or said, he could still hear the not so subtle laughter behind his back, or the whispers of his dead name throughout the hallways. Old friends turned their backs, frustrated and infuriated, despite Shuuichi's insistence that he was the same person that he'd always been.

He met nicer people. He made better friends.

And things grew easier as time wore on, grew until Shuuichi could say he was happy.

(and even though he got kidnapped and shoved in a locker, even though he fell face first and yelled at the girl who found him, he would still call himself happy because Kaede Akamatsu was the first person he'd ever met who didn't point out his high voice or not quite flat chest or wondered why he wore such a strange hat she just radiated happiness and life and accepted who he was and so he had to stay with her he couldn't lose her and it hurt _so much_ when she died in front of him.)


End file.
